NOTE TO SELF: Nobody, but nobody can out-Obama the current occupant of the White House. Yet some of the Republican candidates sound like they are grasping for straws by attacking capitalism and profits, making their rhetoric indistinguishable from the Occupy Wall Street protesters. Rush Limbaugh and other commentators have noticed this anomaly. Here's an excerpt:

...In starting this discussion, they're trying to explain this, dissect what's going on on the Republican side with the attacks on Romney and capitalism and so forth, with language, by the way, that's used by the left. I want to read to you some excerpts of a piece by Jay Nordlinger, who writes a column at National Review called Impromptus. He says, "I was watching a clip of Romney tangling with an Occupy protester last week. Romney was defending corporate profits. I was astounded. I don’t think I had ever seen a candidate do this. When the subject comes up, you’re supposed to denounce corporate profits or say, 'Hey, nice weather we’re having, huh?'"

That gave me great pause. I had to stop and think. He's right, frustratingly so. He's right. No matter who it is, when the subject of profits comes up on our side, they usually duck it and run for the hills, which is maddening. Where are our people taking the occasion to educate people who have been mal-informed, ill-informed, or lied to about capitalism from the first day they stepped into public school? Profits are evil, they are so evil that even people on our side duck the discussion. Jay Nordlinger is reminding himself here that he saw a clip of Romney arguing with an Occupy protester defending corporate profits. How unusual is this? He then goes on to point out that Phil Gramm, the former Senator from Texas, conservative and an economist by trade, "once explained to Bill Buckley why he never talked about free trade on the stump...."

Monday, January 9, 2012

A Washington Post article reports that the two-legged rats at the Occupy camp in Washington, DC have caused a population explosion of the four-legged variety.

"[Mohammad] Akhter, who is originally from Pakistan and has worked for the District government for over 20 years, said that the situation in the two parks is reminiscent of refu­gee camps he has toured overseas in the Middle East and Africa during his public health career. He said he fears disaster could strike during a severe winter storm...."

Saturday, January 7, 2012

As the Republican presidential hopefuls prepare for another round of debates, I write a few impressions of the lineup (my opinion and no one else's):

Mitt Romney - He is expected to win next Tuesday's primary, so most of his rivals have concentrated their efforts elsewhere.

Mitt's strategy of holding on to the center with a death-grip does not sit well with many conservatives, who expect him to stake out clear and unequivocal positions without appearing to be a flip-flopper. On the plus side, he is one of the few candidates with a claim to being a turnaround artist, as evidenced by how he saved the Salt Lake Winter Olympics. If he became the Republican nominee, expect the Obama regime to release a flood of anti-Mormon propaganda.

Rick Santorum - Former Sen. Santorum's excellent showing in the Iowa caucuses have propelled him to the forefront of the "I'm not Romney" candidates. In the past few days, he has had a welcome infusion of cash, up to $1 million a day. Even when he was at the rear of the pack, he became the darling of social conservatives and evangelicals, and is expected to capitalize on this fact when he gets to South Carolina.

Ron Paul - Rep. Paul is actually a libertarian running as a Republican. While I like some of his ideas of a minimalist federal government, his isolationism, lack of knowledge of foreign policy and plans to aggressively cut our military strength are frightening.

Newt Gingrich - Give this man some power, and his dark side will come out. Let's face it, the former Speaker of the House has no people skills, and is given to ridiculous hyperbole (he compared being excluded from the Virginia primary ballot to Pearl Harbor!). Democrats are usually quite forgiving of serial philanderers - except when the offender is a Republican.

Rick Perry - Gov. Perry had the chance to build up some momentum when he announced his candidacy, and he blew it. Like former President George W. Bush, he comes from a weak-governor state, and since old habits die hard, may be inclined to compromise with Congress even at times when bold and firm action are called for.

Jon Huntsman - Sometimes Huntsman appears to be a candidate who could easily pass for a Democrat. He has been concentrating his efforts on New Hampshire more than most of the others, and we will know by next week whether or not his efforts have paid off.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

According to FOX News, President Obama claims these deep cuts will leave the Department of Defense leaner but still superior, the crickets chirp as inquiring minds ask what comparable sacrifices will be made to entitlement programs.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

ABC News reports that former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney won the Iowa caucuses by only 8 votes.

Rick Santorum attracted many evangelical Christians and social conservatives, coming in second. Rep. Ron Paul came in third with 21% of the vote.

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, still bitter over the negative campaigning from the Romney camp that knocked him from the top tier of presidential candidates, finished in fourth place.

Gov. Rick Perry announced his intention to go back to Texas, saying, "I've decided to return to Texas to assess the results of tonight's caucus, determine whether there is a path forward for myself in this race." In other words, he may be dropping out of the competition soon.

UPDATE: Also from ABC News: Rep. Michele Bachmann will not be going to South Carolina, after all. After her poor showing in Iowa, she has decided to drop out of the presidential race.

Monday, January 2, 2012

Harry Burkhart, a German national who "hated America" because was upset over the impending deportation of his mother has been arrested for starting over 50 car fires in the Hollywood/San Fernando Valley area, according to FOX News and CNN. There have been no further cases of arson since he was apprehended.

Also on FOX News: Police confirmed that [Benjamin Colton] Barnes, who was wanted for allegedly murdering park ranger Margaret Anderson and wounding 4 others was found face down in the snow. He apparently succumbed to hypothermia.

Charles Sakai, aka "Bloodthirsty Warmonger"

Visit to Hawaii, 1988 (Pearl Harbor in background) This is a showcase and forum for my passions. The alias "Doc Adler" appears after each posting to bring attention to my other, psychological blog, "Up and Down Time" I plow through a large volume of news sources so that you don't have to.... We make no apologies for our unabashedly conservative bias, as our readers are looking for an antidote to the liberal bias of larger news outlets. We are almost unique in our commitment to cover not only politics and current events, but also the latest in toilet technology, and in championing the cause of homeless people and the mentally ill. To see my profile on Mormon.org, see http://mormon.org/me/2R75-eng/Charles